


Scarred

by SociallyAwkwardFox (Maze_Runner_Fae)



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Developing Relationship, Fights, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Injuries, Prompt Fic, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 06:43:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5775589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maze_Runner_Fae/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who In Your OTP Prompt: Is really self-conscious about a large scar they either have from surgery or after an accident, but the other kisses it and tells them how much more beautiful and unique it makes them.<br/>-------<br/>Jason has one scar on his body that he can't stand to look at. He covers it up when other people are around and never looks in the mirror if it's visible. It's like an ugly brand that always reminds him of the things in his past he'd rather forget.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scarred

When Jason sleeps alone, he only wears a pair of boxer briefs and maybe a pair of socks if it’s cold in his apartment because he knows he’ll wake up in the morning with his comforter around his ankles. The nights that Babs or Steph or Cass or some combination of the three end up in his apartment, Jason wears a pair of worn Star Wars pyjama pants and a Henley. Steph never fails to make a comment about Jason being a gigantic nerd, while Babs always gets this soft look on her face that leads to them hugging for a long while. Sometimes they even end up cuddling on the couch watching Stars Wars like they used to before everything fell apart.

The first time Dick shows up at Jason’s apartment he’s carrying a case of Jason’s favorite beer and a stack of cheesy horror flicks with a tentative smile across his face. Jason knows that Dick doesn’t mean to set him off (Dick’s always lacked personal space), but the only thing going through Jason’s mind when he sees Dick is that he’s standing in the middle of his living room in nothing except a towel. The spark in Dick’s eyes goes a little dim as he takes in the sight in front of him and his mouth opens to say something that Jason doesn’t want to hear. Jason doesn’t want to be looked at with pity or sadness or any of the other emotions Dick is looking at him with.

In the end, it takes Dick forty-five minutes to convince Jason to come out of his bedroom so the two can have dinner and a beer together. Dick isn’t surprised to see that his little brother is wearing a long sleeve shirt with a collar that fits snuggly around his neck. The two eat the pizza Dick has brought over from Jason’s favorite pizzeria in silence as some awful vampire movie plays on the tiny TV. Dick expects Jason to move to the far end of the couch once he’s done eating since he no longer has to be able to reach the pizza box, but Jason stays where he is and leans back into the couch cushions. Even though Jason would deny it, Dick takes this as a sign he should pull Jason’s bigger body into his own so he can snuggle away all the pain Jason has been through.

After the incident, as Dick calls it in his head, Jason always finds himself with an extra attachment on his body whenever Dick is in the immediate vicinity. At first he bitches about the fact Dick won’t stop trying to hug the life out of him, but it doesn’t take him long to give up because really it’s useless. Plus, the looks on Bruce and Damian’s faces whenever they see it happen brings Jason a perverse sort of joy that make the hugs worthwhile. He really should have expected Tim to get curious about the sudden development and start poking his nose around for answers.

Tim’s snooping around doesn’t end with him finding out about what happened between the two oldest Robins. The way Tim ends up putting the pieces together is by complete accident much the same way Dick found out. This time Jason is only wearing a pair of Wonder Woman yoga pants because literally everything else he owns is dirty and despite the fact Steph bought them for him as a joke, they’re Jason’s favorite pair of workout pants. He’s going to town on the punching bag in the Batcave while he waits for his first set of clothes to finish drying, when Tim comes running down the stairs.

They both instantly stop what they’re doing and stare at the other with their eyes wide, clearly not expecting the other person to be there. Once Jason’s brain reboots, he becomes hyperaware of the fact he’s not wearing a shirt and does the only thing he can. His arms cross self-consciously over his chest to hide as much as he possibly can from Tim’s knowledgeable gaze. The gesture instantly diverts the younger man’s attention to the area Jason had been trying to shield from him.

Intense blue eyes flick back up to meet Jason’s as Tim strides purposefully down the stairs and over to where Jason is glued to the floor. Delicate hands carefully pry Jason’s arms away from their position across his chest so he can get a better look at what’s underneath. Jason dreads what’s going to come after Tim finishes his critical analysis of the evidence literally right in front of his face. He’s surprised when the only reaction he gets is Tim tracing a steady finger over part of it before he pulls back so he can look Jason in the eyes.

“Nice pants.”

Those are the only words that come out of his mouth. He doesn’t make a comment on what he just saw or ask why Jason is here when everyone else is out or badger Jason for information like he expects Tim to. Tim walks casually over to the computer and picks up a flash drive that he immediately shoves in his pocket before he leaves. Jason stays standing in front of the punch bag for a long while as he goes over what just happened multiple times in his head.

For the next week Jason becomes more paranoid than he normally is, which is quite an accomplishment considering his normal level of paranoia could be described as ridiculously high. Jason keeps expecting Tim to corner him when he’s least expecting it and demand answers that Jason’s can’t give him. When Red Robin shows up in Jason’s territory he thinks Tim has finally come to collect, but all Tim does is ask for Jason’s permission to follow a lead that has ended up in the other man’s area. Somehow Jason finds himself agreeing to not only allow the younger man in his territory, but also agreeing to help the man with his case.

Of course Tim’s investigative work is flawless, so the two end up busting up a firearms deal that would have made Jason’s life hell. The two work seamlessly together as they takedown every individual that was in the shady, abandoned building. They’re zip tying the last two thugs when Jason finally ends up cracking and saying something that he hasn’t meant to. “Aren’t you going to ask?”

“Ask what?”

“About the…”

“No.” Tim emphasises his statement by pulling the zip tie tightly around his thug’s bleeding wrists.

“Why?”

“It’s not my business.”

“You’re not curious?”

“What’s there to be curious about? It’s obvious how you got it and you clearly don’t like talking about it.”

“I hate it.”

“Why?”

“It’s just-I don’t… It’s…”

Tim wraps his arms around Jason’s neck so he can pull the taller boy’s head down to the junction between his neck and shoulder. His fingers swiftly undo the helmet Jason has covering his head and manages to work the bright red object off with Jason still tucked safely against his body. He gently runs one hand up and down Jason’s back, while the other plays with the hairs at the base of his neck. The heavy body against Tim sags a little further into the comforting hold until it becomes nearly too much for Tim to hold up.

The two end up at Jason’s apartment where Tim instructs the other man to get a shower and let Tim handle getting them dinner. After he gets out, Jason spends a good five minutes staring at his reflection in the mirror before he yanks on some clothes. He finds Tim seating on his couch with two plates on the coffee table, a blanket over his lap, and the TV playing The Big Lebowski. The scene looks so inviting that Jason finds himself mindlessly dropping into place next to Tim with the two plates in his hands so Tim doesn’t have to move. Tim grunts out a thanks and keeps his eyes trained on the TV as he eats the slightly burnt grilled cheese and ham sandwich.

Through the course of the night, Jason finds himself becoming more and more comfortable with Tim’s presence at his side. There’s a casual arm slung over the back of the couch behind Tim by the time Bunny has crashed the car in the fountain. Jason’s arm falls around Tim’s shoulders like keeping it resting on the back of the couch is too much effort once the credits started rolling. This appears to be enough encouragement for Tim because his head ends up pillowed against Jason before they announce the next movie playing on the channel.

It ends up being the third Harry Potter, which Jason hates on principle, but they end up watching the whole thing anyways because there’s no way Jason is moving to find the remote. Even though they end up shifting around throughout the movie, they remain touching as much as possible the entire time. Jason knows they should probably talk about what exactly it is they’re doing right now because this definitely doesn’t feel like it does when Jason does this with Barbara or Dick. Unfortunately, Jason gets the feeling talking about it would ruin the mood so he just tightens the arms he has wrapped around Tim’s waist and buries his cheek further into Tim’s dark hair.

When Jason starts to nod off during the credits, Tim tips his head back to get Jason back to a semi-functioning mode. With much prodding, Tim convinces Jason to get off the couch and move to his bed because there’s no way Jason can sleep on a couch that’s shorter than he is without there being horrible consequences. He stumbles a few times on his way to his room, but Tim is there to catch him and guide him safely onto his plush mattress. Tim says something to Jason that sounds just like the adults do in the Peanuts, then disappears off somewhere.

Jason doesn’t hear Tim come back during the night, but he must have because Tim’s head is pressed right over Jason’s heart when he wakes up in the morning. He’s so distracted by the weight at first that he doesn’t realize one of Tim’s fingers is tracing a familiar pattern on Jason’s shirt. Instinctively, one of Jason’s hands grabs Tim’s in a tight grip that would make a weaker man whimper in pain. He slowly releases the crushing grip he has on Tim and lets out a calming exhale to keep from having another episode. Tim waits patiently for Jason to give some indication that he’s not going to kill him if Tim so much as moves the wrong way.

“Why do you do that? I hate it and you just…”

“I like it.”

“Why would you possibly like it? It’s awful and ugly and it reminds me of what happened. I hate it so much.”

Tim keeps his movements slow as he pushes his body up and moves to straddle Jason’s waist so he’s now looking down at the man. “I’m assuming you’re asking what I see when I look at it. When I look at it I see a reminder of the strength you have, of how you defy people’s expectations of you, of what lead you to being the man you are today. This is the reason there’s been a rapid decline in drug sells to children, this is the reason a multitude of women have been able to return home safely instead of battered and bruise, this is the reason Gotham has gotten a little bit better. This is a part of you and where you see something ugly, I see something beautiful. Scars don’t define you, they prove you’re stronger than your demons.”

“I gave into my demons.”

“No you didn’t.”

“I nearly killed you.”

“Do I look dead to you?” Tim brought Jason’s hand up to the faint, silvery scar on his neck. “You may have gone over the edge, but you did not give into your demons. If you had, you wouldn’t have done any good in this city. You would have turned into the thing you hate. Instead, you’re lying in bed with the man who’s been in love with you since he took his first picture of you as Robin. I have always and will always believe in you. Nothing changes that.”

“I can’t. I want to, but I can’t.”

“I know. I know I can’t change the way you think with a few nice words and an I love you, but if you give me the chance I’ll do my best to prove it to you.”

“I want to not be broken anymore.”

Tim leans his forehead against Jason’s and cups his cheeks between his hands. “Maybe we can fix each other. Slowly and with a whole lot of duct tape.”

“Think we can con Bruce into buying the fancy colored kind?”

“Please, he won’t even know he’s paying.”

Settling into a relationship with Tim is easier than Jason expects it to be and more terrifying than anything Jason has ever done before. They start doing more work together as Red Hood and Red Robin and end most nights curled up in bed together at Jason’s apartment. Tim slips his hand into Jason’s whenever they’re standing around together, even when they’re in the Batcave and Bruce is there with his angry stare. The fact Jason never shies away from Tim’s displays of affection, soon leads to random kisses pressed over where Tim knows Jason has his scar. The only one besides the two of them who knows what Tim is doing is Dick, but he never says anything and for that Jason is grateful.

Six months after the two start dating and three months after Tim starts kissing Jason’s scar through his shirt, Jason sleeps without a shirt on when Tim is there. Neither of them have to say anything to know this is a big moment for Jason, so they don’t say anything at all. Tim curls up against Jason like he always does and traces the scar he memorized the shape of months ago and presses feather light kisses against the raised skin. That night Jason falls asleep to the soothing sensation of Tim loving everything about Jason and maybe he’s starting to hate his scar a little less.

The feeling of Tim affectionately touching Jason’s scar becomes something comforting and Jason starts to direct Tim’s attention there on purpose. He never worries about wearing a shirt when Tim is around anymore, even when it’s so bright Jason knows Tim can see his scar clear as day. He loves the fact that Tim will sneak up behind him in the morning when he’s making coffee and press a kiss between his shoulder blades while he traces Jason’s scar and mumbles about how beautiful Jason is. His scar changes into something that Jason can love.

Jason reaches the pinnacle stage of not caring about the scar etched into his chest and wouldn’t even remember the thing is there if Tim didn’t still love it. He’s forgotten about it so much that he absentmindedly pulls his sweaty shirt off after a training session with Tim and Dick. There’s a sharp inhale of breath behind him after he does it, which instantly sets Jason on danger alert. When he turns around he doesn’t know what he expects to see, but it’s not Dick looking at him with big, watery eyes. Jason doesn’t see Dick cry, but he feels the tears falling onto his exposed skin. Normally Jason would have pushed Dick away and told him to stop acting like Brucie’s little princess, but the proud look in Tim’s eyes has his arms squeezing Dick back just as hard. Jason knows that the only reason Dick is even crying right now is because he knows Jason’s doesn’t hate himself like he did before.

For the next couple of weeks Jason wouldn’t say he regresses, but it takes Jason longer than he would like to admit to get used to Dick touching his scar like Tim does. Dick isn’t super obvious when he runs his fingertips over the raised skin hidden beneath whatever shirt Jason is wearing. He’ll grab Jason’s shoulder like he’s giving it a firm squeeze, but he’ll really be running his thumb over part of the scar. His hugs start to come from behind so his hands can splay out over the scar as his crushes Jason against him. Despite the fact Dick doesn’t make a scene about touching his scar, Jason knows that everyone has picked up on how similar his hand positions are to Tim’s and he’s sure someone else is going to find out about the scar soon.

He expects Damian to catch him after a training session with his shirt off, instead the next reveal is during an ambush. Babs, Steph, and Cass all show up in his apartment in the middle of the day with a bag each and so much junk food Jason knows exactly what they have planned. Somehow he ends up with his nails painted Come to Bed Red because Steph wanted to test out the color before she used it. The moment she finishes the last stroke she promises to paint his nails the same color blue as his eyes the next time she comes over.

Tim comes home from work to find Jason stretched out on top of the girls as they watch some cheesy Batman TV show that Babs found. His eyes flick to Jason’s wiggling toes and Jason thinks the fact he doesn’t comment says a lot about their relationship. The younger boy just walks into the kitchen to get a snack then goes to their bedroom so he can change into something more comfortable than his stuffy suit. Jason doesn’t smile when Tim returns to the living room wearing a pair of Jason’s pants and one of Jason’s tighter fitting tops that still manages to swamp Tim.

Steph opens her mouth to say something about their domesticity until she catches sight of the distinctive blue, red, and gold pattern on the pants. Her eyes light up in excitement and she shoves Jason’s legs off so she can stumble over to where she dumped her bag on the chair. She digs through the contents for a good thirty seconds before she finds whatever it is she was searching for. There’s a ball of fabric in her hands when she stands back up, which she promptly throws directly at Jason’s face.

“I found it while I was going bra shopping last weekend.”

“That’s definitely more information than I needed.”

“Whatever, Jay. Try it on. I want to see it.”

With a roll of his eyes, Jason stands up and exchanges the shirt he is wearing for the bright red Wonder Woman one Steph had thrown at him. He is about to make a comment about feeling pretty until he notices all the girls staring at him like he’s grown a second head. His mouth moves to ask what all the attention is for, but the wind is knocked out of him before he gets even a single syllable out of his mouth. Steph and Cass do their best to suffocate Jason between the two of them like they have the ability to squeeze all the hurt out of Jason.

The two extract themselves just as quickly as they attached and disappear off to wherever Tim must have gone. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they ditched the room so Jason could have a moment alone with Barbara. She holds out a pale hand to Jason that feels much too fragile in Jason’s large, rough hand. Even though he knows Babs is tough as nails, Jason keeps his grip as light as possible to avoid crushing the delicate bones in his bruising grips. She guides him down onto the cushion next to her and keeps his hand firmly in hers as she speaks.

“I remember when they told Bruce that you were dead. Of course he already knew because he found you as Batman, but they didn’t know that. They asked him to come in to identify the body so I went with him. You looked so pale and lifeless and they had already…” Babs gives his hand a strong squeeze before she continues. “I always thought the Pit might have gotten rid of it or hoped it did I guess. You don’t deserve a reminder of what he did to you, but the world is a cruel place. I’m so glad you’re happy. When you came back angry, I knew you had your reasons and I understood them. I was so worried you’d let your anger take over.”

“You know I was never mad at you, right? I never blamed you. You were the best big sister and my best friend. You’re still my best friend.”

Barbara drops the hand she’s holding so she can pull Jason in for a tight hug that the younger man immediately returns. The two still have their arms wrapped around each other by the time the others decide it’s safe to enter the living room again. Somehow all five of them manage to squish onto the couch for rest of the night without it being extremely uncomfortable for all parties involved. It probably would have ended up being awful if Jason’s legs didn’t go numb almost immediately because of all the weight on top of him.

As Jason was expecting, the girls don’t make a big deal about what happened and carry on treating Jason like they normally would. Things continue to go like they normally do in Gotham until one night in November when Red Hood gets himself shot. He’s partnered up with Damian for the night because the others are forcing the two to get along since there’s no way Damian and Tim will ever get along. Most of the patrol is relatively quiet considering its Gotham, just a few muggings that don’t end up going the way the thieves planned.

They’re about to head in for the night when they catch wind of a shipment of drugs arriving near where they are. Jason doesn’t hesitate to literally go in with his guns blazing, while Damian takes the opportunity to climb up onto the catwalk. In no time at all, they take all the thugs down and are working on tying them up for the police. Neither of them expect a third party to show up late and decide it’s a good idea to shoot Red Hood instead of cutting their loses.

Luckily, Jason only gets shot once in the shoulder before Damian is across the warehouse taking all the idiots down. A hiss escapes Jason’s clenched jaws as he presses his right hand against the wound to keep it from bleeding more than necessary. Damian makes that annoying noise he always does at the sight of Jason’s injured shoulder and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s got that look on his face that always makes Jason’s hand twitch to either grab his gun or slap the kid (it’s always so hard to pick).

“You can’t keep pressure on that while you’re driving.”

“Watch me.”

“It’s impractical.”

“I like impractical.”

“Obviously.”

Jason takes three calming breathes to avoid any more bloodshed. “Do you have a suggestion, demon spawn?”

“Pack it with gauze and tape it down.”

“Hope you’re planning to help because there’s no way I’m doing that by myself.”

“The others would be disappointed if I did not.”

There’s no doubt in Jason’s mind that Damian is begrudgingly helping him to keep from getting Dick’s disappointed face. Although the kid could be planning to kill him while Jason has his armor off, which would be a terrible way to die a second time. Unfortunately, Jason has no other choice so he slowly peels his armor off and tries not to jostle his hurt shoulder in the process. He’s acutely aware of Damian watching his every move and probably calculating the quickest and most violent way to kill him.

He assumption is obviously wrong because Damian’s eyes aren’t evil looking like they usually are during his murderous thoughts. They’re oddly blank with a spark of curiosity Jason is only used to seeing when Damian is around cute, furry things. It dawns on Jason that Damian is seeing his scar for the first time, hence the strange expression. Since the girls found out about it, Jason has been coming up with possible reactions for the last of their little family finding out.

Damian would either remain silent about the whole thing or make a snarky comment that will put Jason’s limited self-control to the test. “Is that why Drake and Grayson always touch you?”

“Huh?”

“That. Is that why they always touch your chest?”

“Yes.” Jason can’t help thinking it’s getting really annoying being wrong. “Do you… have other question?”

Damian tips his head to the side thoughtfully as his hands busy themselves with the task he was supposed to be doing. “Does it hurt?”

“Not really. Sometimes it feels sort of tight. Like the skin is being pulled too taunt. Normally that only happens in the winter.”

“Strange. We can leave now.”

“Thanks for the help. I guess.”

“I suppose you are welcome.”

“Great moment. Let’s leave.”

“Agreed.”

As soon as Jason and Damian get to the Cave, Alfred hustles Jason over to the medical area where Tim is waiting with a pair of forceps in his hand. Tim gives a knowing look as he swiftly removes the bullet from Jason’s shoulder and stitches up the bloody hole. He lets his thumb trail over the scar lovingly before he starts methodically wrapping up Jason’s shoulder. There’s no doubt in Tim’s mind that Jason will try to take the wrapping off the moment they get back to the apartment, but he always does it anyways.

“Did the two of you have a nice bonding moment?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Whatever you say, Jay.”

“Don’t sass me, Timbers. I’ve been shot.”

Tim rolls his eyes as he wraps one arm around Jason’s neck and drops his free hand down to run along the scar. “Such a drama queen.”

“I prefer drama king.” Jason swallows Tim’s laughter up in a kiss that Tim easily settles into with a happy hum of approval. “Love you.”

“I love you, too. All of you.”


End file.
